Obama Joker artist unmasked: A fellow Chicagoan  —  When cryptic posters portraying President Obama as the Joker from “Batman” began popping up around Los Angeles and other cities, the question many asked was, Who is behind the image?  —  Was it an ultra-conservative grassroots group …

The public option as a signal  —  Look, it is possible to have universal care without a public option; Switzerland does.  But there are some good reasons for the prominence of the public option in our debate.  —  One is substantive: to have a workable system without the public option …

Thousands Quit AARP Over Health Reform  —  Tens of Thousands Don't Like the Health Care Overhaul  —  (CBS) CBS News has learned that up to 60,000 people have cancelled their AARP memberships since July 1, angered over the group's position on health care.  —  Elaine Guardiani has been with AARP …

Twelve Carry Guns — Including Assault Rifle — Outside Obama Event  —  About 12 people were carrying guns, including at least one semi-automatic assault rifle, outside a building where President Obama was speaking today.  —  No one was arrested outside the VFW National Convention in Phoenix …

E-Mailers Contacted by White House Through Variety of Online Services  —  The White House tells FOX News that third-party groups sending online petitions to the official administration Web site could be to blame for a rash of e-mails that have gone out to people who never requested them.

Supreme Court Orders New Look at Death Row Case  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday ordered a federal trial court in Georgia to consider the case of Troy Davis, who is on death row in state prison there for the 1989 murder of an off-duty police officer.

Wal-Mart, CVS, Best Buy ditch Glenn Beck (plus 5 more companies)  —  Cross-posted at Jack and Jill Politics, Firedoglake, and Daily Kos.  —  Big news today.  We've confirmed that eight more major advertisers have pulled their support from Glenn Beck's show — Wal-Mart, Best Buy, CVS …

Winning By Losing  —  Charlie Cook just said something very profound (which is unusual.)  Chris Matthews asked whether or not the Democrats would lose the House next year and he said he didn't think so, but that they might lose 20 seats.  And then he said this:

Voters Skeptical About Health Care Reform Claims Made By Pelosi and Hoyer  —  Lost in the uproar over a comment in USA Today by the top two House Democrats that those protesting health care reform are “un-American” were several statements aimed at assuring Americans that their access to quality care will be even greater.

Rep. Massa: I will vote against the interests of my district  —  Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) addressed an intimate group of Netroots activists during their annual Netroots Nation gathering in Pittsburgh this weekend.  Mr. Massa reiterated his support for a single-payer health care bill.

90 percent of U.S. bills carry traces of cocaine  —  (CNN) — The term “dirty money” is for real.  —  In the course of its average 20 months in circulation, U.S. currency gets whisked into ATMs, clutched, touched and traded perhaps thousands of times at coffee shops, convenience stores and newsstands.

Obama's MySpace page: I'm 52 years old, not 48  —  Would place president's birth during time Hawaii was a territory  —  If President Obama were indeed born in Hawaii, was it while the islands were a territory of the United States?  —  A new wrinkle in the dispute over his birth …

Blue Dog: ‘Excellent idea’ to start over on health care reform  —  PERRY, Florida (CNN) - Acknowledging his amazement at the crowds gathered to debate health care at his town halls, Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Florida, faced three large gatherings on Monday with many questioners voicing skepticism about the proposals being debated in Washington.

Mental Stress Training Is Planned for U.S. Soldiers  —  PHILADELPHIA — The Army plans to require that all 1.1 million of its soldiers take intensive training in emotional resiliency, military officials say.  —  The training, the first of its kind in the military, is meant to improve performance …

Israel agrees to freeze settlement construction as gesture to US  —  PM's Office confirms moratorium will be in effect until beginning of 2010 to give peace process chance to gain steam, entice international community to recognize Israel's sovereignty in Jerusalem, large settlement blocs.

DNA Evidence Can Be Fabricated, Scientists Show  —  Scientists in Israel have demonstrated that it is possible to fabricate DNA evidence, undermining the credibility of what has been considered the gold standard of proof in criminal cases.  —  The scientists fabricated blood …

Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling  —  Too bad it's not in U.S. waters.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  You read that headline correctly.  Unfortunately, the Obama Administration is financing oil exploration off Brazil.  —  The U.S. is going to lend billions of dollars …

Why the Ladies Love Jon Hamm of ‘Mad Men’  —  The other day, I saw Don Draper in a restaurant on Manhattan's Upper West Side.  Or rather, I saw Jon Hamm, the award-winning actor who plays the ad exec anti-hero on AMC's Mad Men, which kicked off its third season Sunday night.

China ‘angry’ at Australia tour  —  It has emerged that China cancelled a ministerial visit to Australia in protest against a recent visit from the Uighur leader, Rebiya Kadeer.  —  Beijing is angry that Canberra granted a visa to Ms Kadeer, an ethnic Uighur Muslim who lives in the United States.

Calif. Ills Aid Tom Campbell Campaign  —  SAN FRANCISCO — California's fiscal crisis is giving Tom Campbell, an ex-congressman with few resources, a fighting chance to become the state's next governor.  —  In a normal year, the 57-year-old would be a poor bet to win the 2010 Republican primary, political analysts say.

Innocent Man Freed, But Shabby Prosecutor Still Works as Judge  —  This June, District Attorney David Capeless of Berkshire County, Massachusetts announced that he was dropping all charges against 44-year-old Bernard Baran, a man who has spent half his life behind bars on child molestation charges …